MLB analyst compares Tarik Skubal's dominance to Justin Verlander's prime

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal got the ball on Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians. The hard-throwing lefty showed up with his best stuff, pitching one of the best games of his career.

Skubal pitched a complete-game shutout, the first he has ever thrown. He let up just two hits on zero runs while striking out an eye-popping 13 batters.

Skubal was able to complete the shutout in just 94 pitches, largely helping his bullpen. The lefty's dominance has sparked comparisons to a former Tigers ace during his prime.

"It reminds me of my time, going into Comerica and getting a young Justin Verlander, who was trying to literally embarrass you every time up," MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa said Tuesday.

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The MLB analyst compared Skubal's dominance to that of a young Justin Verlander. DeRosa played against Verlander when he was the talk of the league, and much like Skubal's starts, it was never easy for the opposing batters.

"You're watching a guy in complete control," DeRosa said. "A true superstar that everyone is paying price of admission to go see. Absolutely fantasic."

It was not like Skubal was playing a bad team on Sunday, either. The Guardians are well above .500 on the year with multiple sluggers who have done nothing but tear the cover off the ball. To shut them out and last all nine innings is impressive.

Tarik Skubal and the Tigers have been hot to start the year

Detroit Tigers - Tarik Skubal (Photo via IMAGN)

Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award last year. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball and has picked up right where he left off last season.

Skubal's win on Sunday improved his record to 5-2. On top of that, he also holds a 2.49 ERA with an American League-leading 92 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work.

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However, it is not just Skubal who has this club rocking. Javier Baez has come out strong this season after making the change to the outfield. He has had some great plays out there alongside some timely hitting.

Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have also been doing it with their bats. All three sluggers have at least 10 home runs on the year, leading the way for their club.

The combination of good pitching and timely hitting has done nothing but lift Detroit this season. Going into Tuesday, they hold the best record across the MLB at 35-20.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom